The island, and its dependency Rodrigues, is believed to have
been sighted by Arab sailors in the 10th century but they did
not settle. The Portuguese found it in the early 16th century
but they too didn't settle. The Dutch called it a colony from
1598-1710 but only settled from 1638-58 and again from 1664-1710.
Then the French East India Company settled it in 1721 and called
it the Ile de France. They started sugar plantations, as on Reunion.
The island was captured by the British in 1810 and passed to
them at the end of the Napoleonic war at the Treaty of Paris
in 1814. It has been independent since 1968.

The population is a mixture of many cultures including: Indian
(probably the majority); African; Chinese; French. The ancestors
of the Indians were brought to work the sugar cane fields which
are the main agricultural activity. So far the communities appear
to co-exist harmoniously.

There were no indigenous inhabitants when the islands were
discovered.

Languages

Creole (French derived)

English

French

var. Indian Langs.

Patrick O'Brian - The
Mauritius CommandFiction based on the capture of the
islands from France during the Napoleonic war

Vigorous multi-party system with actual change of government
after elections (rare in this region). However, one should note
that the current Prime Minister Navinchandran Ramgoolam is a son of the founding
independence PM and that he has served three five year terms.
This suggests a dynastic
democracy, as in India.

An increasing population shows the dangers of living on a
small island with limited land and resources. (But the Earth
itself is only a bigger Island).

Mauritius was the home of several endemic (found only there)
species, of which the Dodo bird is the most notorious. It is
said to have been eaten by the earliest Dutch settlers, or killed
by rats and dogs which ate its unguarded eggs.

The Dodo may well have been the origin of the "Giant Roc" of Arab folklore (though the even bigger Elephant Bird in Madagascar has a better title).